All in the Family
by Tuch
Summary: Chris goes back to the past to save Piper, but it's more complicated than a simple rescue. Can Leo and Wyatt stop him before he screws up the future?
1. Prologue

All in the Family  
Rating: PG (Some violence, nothing graphic; some questionable language, but nothing you wouldn't hear on network television)  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything "Charmed"-related. That honor goes to people richer than I.  
Notes: This is not my first fanfic, but it is my first "Charmed" fic, so I'd appreciate any kind of feedback, even if it's just to say, "God, you suck."

* * *

My name is Wyatt Halliwell. You may have heard of me. I come from a long line of powerful witches, mostly women. My mother was one of the Charmed Ones, who were respected far and wide for their power to vanquish demons. My three aunts made up the other corners of the triangle. Don't ask how four people can make up a triangle. It's a long story, and it's well documented already, above and below. No, I'm here to tell a story about my brother, Chris.

My first memory is of my brother. Most kids remember things like birthday parties and Christmas trees. I remember watching Chris get stabbed and killed by an Elder. I didn't know he was my brother at the time. He was just some guy who hung around the house a lot and helped my mother and aunts fight the bad guys. But he died protecting me, and I never forgot that. When I got older and my father told me the story behind Chris' time travel, I vowed I would protect him from anything that ever tried to hurt him. It was the least I could do, considering he'd died to save me and all. Besides, it's my job to protect him. I'm bigger and a lot more powerful. And, yes, I'm also a great deal more arrogant. Deal with it.  
  
Chris and I have always been close. Mom died when I was 16, and Dad is there for us when he can be, but his job keeps him away a lot. The aunts check in on us from time to time, but they're pretty much out of the family business. They fight when they have to, but they're off living normal lives for the most part. The fight seemed to have gone out of them when Mom died. I can't say I blame them. They fought for 20 years, and now they deserve a break. Anyway, for the better part of the last nine years, it's just been me and Chris. I took care of him when Mom died. I made him do his homework and brush his teeth, and I made sure he ate and slept enough. He kept me grounded, kept me here, kept me from taking on every demon the underworld had to offer in a fit of vengeance. He probably saved my life. Again. Now we fight the demons and the darkness together.  
  
Don't tell him I told you this, because his royal highness would never let me live it down, but I need him more than I need anyone else in this world. And that's why I'm going into the past to get him back.


	2. Chapter 1

Chris looked one way, then the other. The attic was clear except for random junk — and its centerpiece, the Book of Shadows. He took a deep breath and willed his hands not to shake. It looked so much like the attic from his time, and he wanted to laugh at the comfortable familiarity of it. He pulled himself quickly back to the task at hand. He was here to save Piper, not play blast from the past.

He ran over in his mind what he would say to her when he saw her. She would recognize him, he was sure. He'd heard dozens of times how another Chris had come to the past to save Wyatt. But that was a Chris from a different timeline, and he didn't remember any of it. Chris was lost in thought when a young, male voice sent him crashing back to reality.

"Who are you?" the voice asked. Chris' eyebrows shot up. It was himself at 14, all floppy hair and gangly limbs. Not much had changed for him on that front.

"My name is Chris Halliwell. I'm from the future, and I'm here to help you save your mom."

The boy looked at him, suspicion clouding his bright green eyes. "You're me, aren't you?" he asked. "The one who saved Wyatt."

Chris nodded. That wasn't entirely true, but he wasn't above a little strategic fibbing now and then.

"This is so cool," the boy said, awe evident in his tone. "MOM! Guess what I—" He started to yell down the stairs for his mother, but Chris clapped a hand around his mouth.

"Shhh!" he ordered harshly. The boy's eyes grew wide. "We're not going to tell anyone I'm here yet. This is a job for you and me, got it?"

He nodded, and Chris took his hand away when he was sure his younger self wouldn't scream again.

"Now, I've gotta get out of here. You don't mention this conversation to anyone. Meet me at P3 at 2 a.m. and I'll tell you what I need you to do."

The boy nodded again and went downstairs, leaving Chris alone in the attic.

"But first," he said out loud, "we make sure we don't get any rude interruptions." Sprinkling a mixture of salt and sage on the ground, he chanted:

"I stand here now, in this time and place, creating this sacred space, blocking access with spell, of another Halliwell."

Secure that the ward would hold, Chris orbed out of the attic to plan his next move.


	3. Chapter 2

Wyatt heaved the Book of Shadows across the attic, sending it crashing into the back wall. He wasn't pissed. He was well beyond pissed. He couldn't remember the last time his baby brother had blocked one of his spells. Not that Chris couldn't, of course. Wyatt was amped as far as pure power went, but Chris had always been the better spell-caster and potion-maker. And now one of Chris' spells was keeping Wyatt from following his brother into the past.

_Think, Halliwell, think_, he told himself. _How can I get around Chris' magic?_

Then it hit him. _Of course,_ he thought. _Maybe I can't get around his spell, but someone else can. _

"Leo!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "Dad, get down here!" He knew he didn't have to scream. His father would have heard him even if he'd whispered, but it made him feel better to get loud. Within seconds, Leo had orbed into the attic, his hands folded in a gesture of peace that Leo always bore when he'd spent too much time "up there."

Wyatt quickly ran him through the afternoon's events, and Leo's trance-like gaze melted into concern.

"This is bad," Leo said.

"Obviously," Wyatt replied, irritated with his father's need to state the obvious. "But I think I know a way around the spell. I can't get through it, but maybe you can."

"Wouldn't Chris have blocked access to me as well?"

"Not necessarily. A spell of that magnitude has to be very specific. If he made the block too wide, he wouldn't be able to return. And he was mainly concerned about me following him."

"Why would he—" Leo started, then stopped when something occurred to him. "Wyatt, have you and Chris been discussing this?"

Wyatt cast his eyes to the floor, but Leo moved closer and demanded his attention with a look that would brook no lies.

"He may have mentioned it a few times," Wyatt said evasively.

"Damn it, Wyatt, I told you that you needed to tell me if he ever talked about going back in time!" Leo still had vivid memories of the day Chris died in his arms, and he and Piper had been vigilant in making sure their younger son never took that route — as vigilant as they had been in making sure Wyatt walked the path of good.

"I know," Wyatt said, finally meeting his father's gaze. "I just thought I could handle him. I always have before." The last part was more of a whisper, but Leo caught it, and suddenly he was ashamed at his burst of temper. Wyatt had been an outstanding brother, ever protective and loyal — before and after Piper's death. He could never accuse his son of slacking off the on the job. He placed a hand gently on Wyatt's shoulder.

"Let's try it," Leo said. "If it doesn't work, we'll think of something else."

It took an hour to gather the supplies they needed for the spell, but when they'd gathered again in the attic, Leo saw that his son had picked up a healthy dose of determination as well.

Wyatt lit the candles and raised his hand in a classic spell-casting pose.

"I stand here now, in this time and place, creating this sacred space, send this man to his son, who's out of time, errr…I send you now and end this rhyme."

_ Damn, _Wyatt thought. _I hate casting spells. It's so much easier to blast stuff. _

Leo's eyebrows furrowed at the terrible rhyme, but he didn't have much time to react, because a misty purple light was making its way up from his feet. Within seconds he was gone, and Wyatt crossed his fingers that Leo would be able to stop Chris before he did anything irrevocably stupid.


	4. Chapter 3

Chris paced across the back room of the empty P3. His younger self was three minutes late. Damn unreliable kids, never respecting anyone's time. He didn't remember himself being so irresponsible. Just when he was about to go off on an internal rant about kids these days, the boy orbed in beside him.

"Sorry I'm late," he said. "Aunt Paige got up to go to the bathroom."

Chris nodded. "Fine. Let's get on with this."

"You said you were going to tell me how to save my mother," the boy reminded him. "Is she in trouble?"

Chris looked down on…himself. This kid's eyes darted around the room, and his body language screamed of nervous energy. _God, I don't remember being this neurotic,_ he thought. _Glad I grew out of that. _

"Yes. This is important, so listen closely." He knelt down to be at eye level with the younger Chris, who had about another two years before he would hit his last growth spurt. "In three days, a demon is going to attack the manor. If we don't do anything, your mother — our mother — will die." The boy's face paled, and Chris felt a little bad about terrifying him, but he pushed the guilt aside quickly. _He'll feel even worse if I fail_, he thought.

Chris outlined his plan, and the boy nodded, his intense gaze never wavering. He took demons very seriously, especially ones that threatened his family, and Chris had no doubt that his younger self would do whatever was necessary.

When they were done discussing the plan, the boy turned to leave, but Chris caught him by the shoulder. "One more thing," he said. "We have to take care of Wyatt."

"What about Wyatt?" Chris asked. "Maybe he can help us. He's really powerful. More powerful than I am."

"I know," Chris muttered. "But that's not what I'm talking about. It's only a matter of time before big Wyatt, the Wyatt from my world, figures out how to follow me back here. And he'll try to stop me."

"Why would he do that?" the other Chris asked, his voice cracking.

"Because he's evil," Chris lied. Again, he felt guilt creep in on him, and again he pushed it aside. He reasoned that he would do whatever it took to save his family. If Wyatt did find a way back here, he didn't want his younger self — or anyone else, for that matter — trying to help him. His brother wasn't really evil, just deluded. Deluded into believing what his father and the Elders had told him about destiny.

_ Screw destiny_, he thought. _What has that bitch ever done for me?_

"I thought you saved him. That's what everyone said."

"Some people can't be saved," Chris replied somberly.

"Wyatt doesn't seem evil. Well, sometimes…"

"Losing mom is what turns him. If we save mom, maybe we can save Wyatt, too."

Young Chris' jaw set in determination. "I won't let them down."

Chris smiled at his little self. "I know you won't. That's why I came to you. Now, what are you going to do in the morning when I show up at the manor?"

"Stay out of the way."

"Right. Now you'd better get back before anyone notices you're gone."


	5. Chapter 4

> When young Chris orbed into the room he shared with his 16-year-old brother, he found the older boy waiting for him with arms crossed.

"Where were you?" Wyatt asked, impatience making his tone clipped.

"Out," Chris replied as he unzipped his jeans and let them fall to the floor. He reached for the pajama bottoms folded neatly on the chair next to his bed, but Wyatt snatched them first.

"Out where?" he prodded. "It's a quarter after two in the morning."

"What does it matter to you?" Chris asked. "I didn't get you into trouble." He cringed at the hostility in his own voice. He wasn't really angry with Wyatt, but he didn't know how to answer his questions without giving up the game.

"What's with the attitude problem?" Wyatt asked. "Besides, you know if anything happened to you mom would have my ass."

Chris' face flushed. Now he WAS angry. "I'm not a child," he spat.

"Then why are you acting like one? Sneaking out in the middle of the night to God knows where."

Chris sighed. "Wyatt, could you just not make a big deal out of this? Please? Just this once?"

Wyatt studied his brother for a long moment, then handed him his pants. "OK," he conceded. "Just don't go running off again. I don't need to tell you about the evil things out there that would just love to get their hands on a Charmed One's son."

Chris smiled gratefully. He'd always been able to count on Wyatt. As he finished getting changed for bed, his smile turned to a frown. _What would a world with an evil Wyatt be like? _he wondered. _What would it be like if I couldn't trust my own brother?_

Wyatt, ever perceptive, noticed the change. "Look, Chris, if something is wrong, you can tell me about it."

Chris forced himself to smile again. "I know. And I will. Just not right now. Trust me?"

Wyatt laughed and clapped him on the back. "I do. Just don't leave me hanging for too long." _And don't take off without telling me where you're going, _he amended silently. He crawled into the bottom bunk, and Chris followed him onto the top one. He'd had to lie to his brother, something he'd never done before. He knew instinctively that the next three days were going to be the worst of his life.


	6. Chapter 5

Leo orbed into the back room of P3 and spent a few moments letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. He'd originally found himself in the attic, but it hadn't taken long to track his son here. Finally, he spotted Chris' prone form on a couch near the back. The even rhythm of his breathing told him he was asleep, and Leo exhaled in relief. At least he would get the chance to collect himself before launching into a fight.

For several long minutes, he simply watched the young man sleep. He was so much like his mother. The dark hair and the expressive eyes and the infuriatingly single-minded stubborn streak combined to make him Piper's boy through and through. It hadn't been easy getting close to him, which was an odd thing to say about his own son. Chris had always been private and reserved, and he cloaked himself in sarcasm when life got intense. Wyatt, on the hand, had grown up the ultimate extrovert, and he'd clung to his father since he was a child. Leo could honestly say that he loved Chris every bit as much as Wyatt, but forging a relationship with his younger son had been a great deal harder. Still, he'd been determined to avoid becoming the father Chris would hate, and his efforts had paid off in a rewarding relationship with both his children. And now he was probably going to risk all of that by dragging Chris back to the future by the scruff of his neck, but he could live with that.

> _ I'm his father_, Leo reminded himself, _not his friend_.

Chris stirred, and his eyes flipped open. He sensed his father in the room before he actually saw him, and he cursed under his breath. He'd been expecting Wyatt, and he'd even prepared what he was going to say. Leo would be a lot harder to get around.

"Dad," he said tentatively.

"I'm here, Chris."

"I'm not going back until I've finished what I came here to do."

"You're coming back with me now, and I'm not going to argue with you."

Chris could see him now, towering over him where he had slept. _I must have been out, _Chris thought. _I never heard him come in_. He tried to orb away, but Leo reached out a hand and pulled him back before he could make his escape. Chris stood angrily, hands on hips and emotions on fire.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked. His voice was tight and entirely too controlled. "Why don't you want me to save mom? Are you that happy to be rid of her?" He took small satisfaction in the grimace of pain that flashed through Leo's features even as he realized how unfair he was being.

"You don't think I tried?" Leo cried. "I went through ever channel I could think of. It was her destiny, Chris, and nothing will change that. Certainly not an arrogant witch who thinks he can change the past to suit his whims."

That did it. Leo saw the fist a second too late to prevent it from connecting with his chin, and he staggered back, in equal measures of surprise and pain.

> "I'm not trying to fix a parking ticket, you stupid ass!" Chris shouted.

Leo had had his fair share of fights with adult Chris in the past, but this Chris had always been the epitome of self-containment. He hadn't even cried when Piper died. Now that Leo thought about it, he hadn't seen Chris get emotional since shortly before Piper's death. Maybe a fistfight wouldn't be such a bad thing. Leo shoved him against the wall and went nose to nose with him.

"Do you have any idea the kind of havoc you could wreak here?"

"I'm going to save my mother. How can that be a bad thing?" His tone was restrained, and Leo could feel him retreating again.

"Piper's death had consequences, Chris. On the girls, on me, on—"

"Mom's death made Aunt Paige and Aunt Phoebe miserable. They can barely talk about her anymore." He pushed Leo away and stalked across the room.

"What about Wyatt? You mother's death is what put Wyatt on his path."

Silence passed between them, and Chris' eyes hardened. "Oh, I get it now." His gaze bore into Leo, cold and hard, and Leo shivered involuntarily. He hadn't seen this side of Chris in a long time.

"You get what?"

"I get that it's all about the great, twice-blessed King Wyatt."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leo asked, unable to keep the anger from tinting his words.

"It means that it's always been all about Wyatt. He's the one with the great destiny, and it doesn't matter if mom had to die a horrible death for it to happen."

"That's not true and you know it," Leo argued. He clung desperately to the conversation, trying keep it from degenerating further, like so many of their arguments tended to do.

"Wyatt was aimless before your mother's death. Afterward, he realized what he had to do. That he had to take fighting demons seriously."

"He would have come to that conclusion anyway, in time," Chris countered. "He was only 16. Besides, the Charmed Ones were taking care of the demon population just fine."

Leo sized up the situation and realized he was never going to convince Chris to go back. What was worse was that he had no idea how he would force his son to go if he didn't want to. Wyatt was probably the only one powerful enough to do that.

"I'm going to get Wyatt. Maybe he can talk some sense into you."

"No, you're not."

Leo was startled by the certainty in his voice. Chris stepped closer until he was within arms' distance. "I'm sorry about this, Dad." He did sound genuinely apologetic.

"For what? I don't—" And then he got it. Chris flicked his wrist, and before Leo could protest, pieces of him were scattered over the dark San Francisco sky.

_That oughta keep him busy for a while_, Chris thought.


	7. Chapter 6

Chris took a deep breath, steadied himself, and rang the doorbell. Things were moving along more or less as he'd expected. His father's appearance had been a surprise, but that had to be a good thing. If Wyatt had sent Leo, it meant he couldn't get through the barrier himself. But a part of him wished Wyatt had come. Once Wyatt saw his mother alive and well, certainly he would want to keep her that way. And things were so much easier when he and his brother worked together. But he was on his own now, and he would have to take care of things by himself.

Despite his mental preparation, his breath hitched when Piper answered the door. God, she was beautiful. And perfect, and everything he remembered. And she would be dead in two days if he didn't do something.

"Hi, Mom," he said shyly.

Piper gaped for a bit, then pulled her son into the mother of all bear hugs.

"You're back," she whispered. "I knew you would be OK."

Chris allowed himself to be held. Touchy-feeliness wasn't normally his thing, but he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this warm, and he didn't want the moment to end. Finally, Piper pulled away and dragged him inside.

It was Saturday morning, and the manor was empty except for Piper and his younger self. Chris couldn't actually see the kid, but he knew he'd be up in his room.

"Look, Mom, I don't have a lot of time," he started as she pressed a glass of cold water into his hand.

"Here, drink this. It's hot outside. You must be thirsty." She fussed around him, not knowing what to do first. He wasn't thirsty at all, but he took the water and sipped it slowly. It was more than a glass of water. It was a gift from his mother, and he wanted to savor it like a dying man savoring the last minutes of his last day alive.

"I came back because I failed, Mom," he said carefully. She narrowed her eyes at him in a distinctly Piper-like way.

"What do you mean you failed?" she asked. "You saved Wyatt. He's a good kid."

"I know it seems that way," he said, "but looks can be deceiving."

She halted her manic effort to shine the sink to stare at him. "Spill it, Chris."

He gave her the story he'd prepared about how Wyatt was still evil and how they needed to stop him. He was forced to be terribly vague, since he didn't have any memories of Wyatt being truly evil, and he didn't know how many details his alternate self had revealed about that world. Despair pooled in Piper's eyes, and Chris led her gently to a chair.

"He's still evil?" Piper repeated. "But how — my baby…"

"It's OK, Mom. We can still save him."

Piper's head snapped up. "Of course we're going to save him," she said, now overflowing with determination. "What do we have to do?"

Chris smiled. This was the Piper he remembered. "In two days, a demon will attack the house. That attack is what turns him."

Piper looked uncertain. "I don't get it," she said. "Wyatt has fought demons before. Why is this demon special?"

"I can't tell you. It could change the future too much."

Piper laughed hollowly. "I've heard that before."

Chris had no idea what she was talking about, so he moved on. "You have to take Wyatt and go to the magic school. You'll — he'll be safe there."

"That's a great idea!" she said, jumping up from her chair. "I'll leave Wyatt at the school, and Phoebe, Paige and I will vanquish whatever monster is trying to hurt my baby."

"NO!" Chris shouted. Piper started.

"Why not? I can't just leave it to roam free. What if it comes back after Wyatt returns?"

"Let me worry about that," he insisted. "Wyatt needs you and Phoebe and Paige to stay close to protect him. He needs to feel safe."

_ And I need to make sure no one else dies,_ he thought.

"How do you expect to fight it without your powers?" she asked.

"I took care of that. I've been planning this trip for a while, Mom, and I made sure I kept my powers when I came over."

Piper thought it over and finally nodded her head in agreement. "Fine, but I'm not sending you off to fight it alone. You're taking Leo with you. And I'm giving you as many potions as you can carry."

"Cool," Chris replied. "Can I have a cookie and a blankie, too?" Piper whacked him lightly in the back of the head with a pot holder. "Some things never change, do they?" she asked affectionately.

"Hopefully, some things do," he muttered.


	8. Chapter 7

"Wyatt, are you sure you want to do this?" Phoebe asked. It wasn't often that her nephew asked for her help, and she would never deny him, but the idea of sending him back to such a horrible time in her life made her stomach clench.

"Chris hasn't given me much of a choice," he answered. "And I can't break through his spell without your help." He looked from Phoebe to Paige and back to Phoebe. "So, are you going to help me?"

"Maybe you don't have to go back," Paige suggested. "Maybe Leo just needs a little more time to—"

"If Leo had succeeded, he would back by now. And the clock is still ticking for Chris. He's going to change the past if I don't stop him."

The women were silent for a moment, and Paige was the first to speak both their thoughts. "Would that be such a bad thing?" she asked, her voice small and uncertain.

Wyatt sighed and ran a hand through his long blond hair. "Part of me wants him to succeed," he admitted. "Part of me wants this to all end happily ever after with Mom coming home for Thanksgiving dinner. But it can never be that way. I don't think I need to explain why."

The girls nodded sadly. They DID understand, but it didn't mean they had to like it.

"Are you going to tell Chris the truth?" Phoebe asked.

"Hell, no!" Wyatt cried. "He's spent the last nine years guilt-tripping enough as it is. He doesn't need this, too. But I'm not sure it would even matter to him."

Wyatt took his place inside the circle of candles, and the women began chanting:

_"Circle of darkness, circle of light, Send Wyatt back to set things right, send him to his brother's time, we call upon the Halliwell line!"_

They finished the spell with a shout, and purple light crackled through the attic. When it disappeared, he thought the spell had been a bust. But then he realized his aunts were gone, and the attic had been re-arranged.

Wyatt extended his senses and was surprised to find that Chris was very close. Downstairs, in fact. He barely contained the hope that this might be easier than he'd feared.

He made his way down from the attic, careful not to make any noise in case he needed to draw on the element of surprise. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he stopped in his tracks. He could just see inside the kitchen, where Chris and his mother were sitting at the table, going over their plans, and he found himself clinging to the banister for support. God, it had been so long since her death that her face had started to blur in his mind, even with the help of all the pictures scattered around the house.

_Maybe you should help him save her,_ he thought. It took all the self-discipline he had to push the traitorous thought aside. Saving Piper would mean disaster for him and Chris, and he wasn't willing to let that happen.

A subtle shift in his weight caused the stairs to creek, and Piper and Chris jumped up from the table.

"Damn it," Chris muttered. _Could his timing be any worse?_

"Chris," Wyatt said calmly. "I've come to take you home."

"I'll tell you what I told HIM. I'm not going back, so forget it."

"Wyatt?" Piper asked uncertainly. "Is that you?"

Wyatt's attention flickered between his mother and Chris.

"Yeah, mom, it's me."

Piper reached out to Wyatt, but Chris pulled her back. "No," he commanded. "He's evil, remember? He's here to take me back so I can't change the future."

Wyatt's eyes narrowed in disbelief. What the hell was Chris up to?

"You told her I'm evil? Are you crazy?" He looked at Piper. "Mom, I don't know what he told you, but I'm not evil. I'm just trying to keep Chris from making a huge mistake."

Piper turned from one son to the other, hesitation keeping her rooted to the floor. "Wyatt, baby, I want to believe you, but I'm not sure I can. Chris has done so much already to save you."

Wyatt sighed. "I know, and it worked. He DID save me, and I'm more grateful than he could ever understand. But he wasn't content to leave it at that."

Chris glared at his brother. He had to stop this before Wyatt ruined everything. With a wave of his hand, he sent Wyatt flying backward and into the foyer. He followed quickly, ready to go another round, but Wyatt got to his feet and unleashed a burst of telekinesis that sent Chris hurtling into the grandfather clock. The door shattered, and Chris fell to the ground, tiny pieces of glass dusting his shoulders. Before he could return the volley, Wyatt lifted him off the ground with his power and pinned him to the wall.

"Think hard before you take me on power for power, Christopher," Wyatt warned through clenched teeth.

Chris swallowed hard. The only time Wyatt ever called him by his full name was when he was supremely pissed, and an angry Wyatt was never fun to be around. Even a good, angry Wyatt. But Chris hadn't gone through all this trouble to back down now.

Wyatt was about to take this fight outside when he was knocked off balance by something flying through the air and onto his back. No, not something. Someone. A 14-year-old someone who was pulling hard on Wyatt's hair. He let big Chris fall to the floor as he grappled with the boy.

"Leave him alone!" little Chris screamed.

Wyatt tried to pry the kid's fingers off his hair, all the while struggling with the surreal nature of his situation. He didn't have too much time to ponder, because Piper's screeching voice brought all three to a halt.

"Stop it!" she screamed. "Stop it this instant! I will not have my boys fighting in my house!"

The three of them stopped in their tracks. Hell hath no fury like a wrathful Piper.

"Wyatt, I want you to leave," she said, her voice shaking with anger.

That hurt, and Wyatt couldn't pretend it didn't. "You're believing him over me?" he asked incredulously.

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely, "but I know this Chris, and I don't know if I can trust you." The fact that he understood her reasoning didn't make it sting any less. He turned to big Chris and expected him to be gloating in triumph, but there was only sadness in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Wyatt," Chris said. "I wish I could have done this another way."

Wyatt clenched his fists into balls and orbed out without a word. Chris exhaled, but he didn't allow himself to relax. Wyatt wasn't one to give up easily.


	9. Chapter 8

Somewhere in the middle of the woods, Leo stopped to catch his breath. _I can't believe it,_ he thought. _The little bastard did it to me AGAIN! _Reason told him that this version of his son had no memory of sending him to the Valkyries, but it was clear evidence that they two young men were very much the same. He was just relieved to have escaped a second time. As he dusted the dirt off his pants, he wondered idly if 23 was too old for a spanking.

"So, everything OK?" Wyatt asked. Leo flinched. He'd been so absorbed in thoughts of corporeal punishment that he hadn't noticed Wyatt orb in.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for the help."

Wyatt grinned and nodded, but the moment of mirth faded quickly, and he relayed what he'd overheard in the kitchen. "What now?" he asked. "Mom's taking his word over mine. He's playing this better than I'd anticipated," he admitted.

"Yeah," Leo said. "Chris manipulated us pretty well the first time, too. If I know him, he sent the girls and the kids off somewhere safe and he plans to fight Urak by himself."

"That's suicide!" Wyatt exclaimed. "The Charmed Ones barely managed to kill him, and they lost Mom in the process. What makes him think he can do it all by himself?"

"Chris has always been something of a martyr. I doubt he's thought it through that far."

Wyatt shook his head. Leo knew Chris as well as any father could know his son, but Wyatt knew his brother on a whole different level.

"He knows exactly what he's doing, and he doesn't care. He'll die for her." Then something occurred to him. "He's been planning this for years, since Mom died."

Leo's eyebrows shot up. "You sure?"

"He started talking about the possibilities of time travel more over the past few months, but the idea popped into his head the moment he saw her fall."

Wyatt's thoughts wandered back to the day his mother died. He'd been at a baseball game with some friends when he'd felt something terribly wrong. By the time he got back to the house, Piper and a big, ugly demon assassin named Urak, sent by the Source, lay dead. Leo was weeping wildly over Piper's body, and the aunts huddled together in the corner of the living room, faces frozen in shock. Wyatt's panic had grown when he didn't see Chris, but he eventually found the boy in the attic with the Book of Shadows, flipping through it manically with his telekinesis. Chris wanted to go back. He was ready to go back in time then and there, but Wyatt wrestled him to the ground, remembering his promise to his parents even in the middle of his overwhelming grief.

Eventually, Chris had calmed down, and they went ahead with mourning Piper. At least, Wyatt, Leo, Phoebe and Paige had. Chris had always stood aloof, unwilling to share his grief with the others. The family had worried at first, especially when Chris refused to talk about his mother in the past tense, but life had gone on, and he seemed to be adjusting well. But Wyatt wasn't fooled. Rather than being relieved at his brother's quick adjustment, he was frightened by the boy's total lack of grief. Chris had never been the weepy type, but there was nothing. No tears, no angry outbursts, no sad, lingering looks at family photos. Nothing.

"As long as he planned to come back and save her, she wasn't really dead for him," Wyatt realized out loud.

Leo nodded. "You might have something there. But right now we have to stop him."

"Got a plan?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

Wyatt's mouth dropped open as Leo explained his idea and stayed locked in that position until he was done.

"Are you saying you want me to kidnap…you…so…you can be at the manor with Chris?"

"Exactly. Piper would never allow Chris to fight a demon on his own. I'm not even sure why she agreed to hide out at the magic school, except that she was probably overwhelmed by seeing Chris again."

Wyatt turned away, refusing to look at his father, and Leo stiffened.

"What? What is it?" Leo asked.

Wyatt turned back, this time uncertainty clouding his eyes.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," he said softly. "I'm setting up my mother to be killed."

Leo placed a gentle hand on his son's shoulder. "Piper died saving Chris. That was her destiny, and she wasn't afraid of it. If she hadn't, Chris would be dead, and you wouldn't have found your own destiny."

"Can you be sure?" Wyatt countered. "I mean, what if we can save Mom and Chris? What if nobody has to die?"

Leo sighed and let his hand drop. There was so much his boys didn't understand about cosmic forces and destiny. Whenever Leo or any other Elder tried to explain it they came off as pompous asses, but the truth was that mortals simply weren't equipped to grasp the intricacies of the universe. That's why they were still incarnating. Sometimes it seemed damned unfair, but he understood that there were just some rules that shouldn't be broken.

"It has to be this way, Wyatt. The Fates have ruled that Piper has to die for Chris to live, and nothing we do can change that."

"Screw the Fates!" Wyatt screamed. "What kind of poor excuse for a cosmic force of good would put me in the position of having to kill my own mother?!"

"The Fates aren't good or evil. They just are, and if we don't step in, Chris will die." That seemed to snap Wyatt out of his tirade. Suddenly, both men were more tired than they'd ever been in their lives, and Leo tried unsuccessfully to ignore the guilt that gnawed at him. He'd loved Piper more than any woman on this planet, and he'd have done anything to save her. Anything short of sacrificing his children. Because the truth was that while he missed Piper every day, he could go on without her, but he knew he would never survive watching Chris die again.

"It's settled, then," Leo said. "You find the other me and keep him away from the action. When Chris or the girls call for him, I'll make my entrance."

"What about getting Mom back to the manor?"

"I have an idea for that, too."


	10. Chapter 9

Piper paced back and forth across the magic school's library. Something about all of this seemed wrong, somehow. More wrong than the thought that someone was out to hurt Wyatt. Wrong on a gut level, like she didn't know everything. But then, this was Chris, and it was very likely that he was keeping things from her. Her sisters had gone off to the rooms prepared for them, and it was just her, Wyatt and Chris — both of him — in the library.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" she asked. Chris nodded. She'd asked him that question a dozen times already, and he was getting annoyed — not so much because he was certain he could handle it, but because he was starting to doubt if he could.

"I'll be fine," he insisted. "You take care of Wyatt. He needs you."

She looked down to the other end of the room, where Wyatt and Chris were working quietly on their homework. _Nobody is going to hurt my children_, she thought. _Nobody._

"I want you to take Leo with you," she said, turning back to Chris. He fidgeted and opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off before he could start.

"No buts. You take Leo or I go back with you. End of story."

He sighed in resignation. He would never win an argument with Piper, so he didn't even try.

"I've already explained to him what's going on, and Phoebe, Paige and I created a couple of vanquishing potions." She handed them to him and looked up, calling, "Leo!"

A blue orb cloud settled next to them and solidified into Leo's familiar form. Leo looked from Piper to Chris and back again, never losing his serene smile.

"Welcome back, Chris," he said, embracing his son in a warm hug. "I spent so much time hoping you got back to the future OK."

Chris smiled and hugged him back. Certainly, this Leo would help him. He briefly wondered if his father was OK and then pushed the thought aside. He would fix everything once he fixed this one thing. Leo and Wyatt would have no choice but to be grateful.


	11. Chapter 10

While Piper, Leo and big Chris spoke in hushed tones on the other side of the room, Wyatt and young Chris pretended to do homework, all the while speculating on what was happening around them.

"Something huge must be going on if Mom is making us hide out here," Wyatt commented.

"We're not hiding," Chris insisted. "We just playing it safe."

"We never play it safe. We always go after demons. Why hide now?"

Chris sighed. He wanted so badly to explain everything to Wyatt, but preventing his brother from turning and his mother from getting killed hinged on Chris keeping them away from the battle.

Wyatt was about to argue further when something caught his eye. It was a subtle movement, and Chris missed it, but something prodded Wyatt to check it out.

"Where are you going?" Chris whispered.

"Nowhere. Wait here."

"I'm coming with you."

"Jesus Christ, I have to take a piss. You really wanna come?"

Chris pursed his lips and settled back into his seat. No, he did not really want to watch Wyatt pee.

Wyatt tiptoed into the hallway quietly so his parents wouldn't see him leave and quickly found a hand wrapped around his mouth. He struggled for a bit, but the man was too strong, and even his powers didn't seem to work on him.

"Sssh!" the man ordered. "I'm going to move my hand away, but don't make a sound." When Wyatt was free, he gasped at the sight of…himself.

"Hey, you're me!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'm you," Wyatt said. "Now listen up if you want to save your brother."

Young Wyatt perked up at that. "Chris is fine. Here's right in there," he said, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the library.

"Listen to me," Wyatt said. "This is very complicated, and I don't have time to explain. You have to get back to the manor."

"I can't. Mom would freak out. She insisted I stay here."

"Like I said, there's no time to explain. Just do it. Your entire future depends on it."

"You're kinda bossy," young Wyatt pointed out. "I don't think I like your attitude."

"You have the same attitude."

"Then I definitely need to do something about my attitude problem."

Both Wyatts stared at each other for moment, trying to wrap their minds around the fact that were essentially talking to themselves, and identical grins spread across their faces.

"When you go back," Wyatt continued, "make sure they know about it. Don't let them stop you, but it's important that they follow you." Wyatt felt a stab of sympathy at the confusion swelling in the boy's face. "Like I said, it's complicated," he offered in way of explanation.

The boy folded his arms across his chest, all senses on full alert. "Hey, you're not the evil me from the future, are you?"

"Sometimes I wonder," Wyatt replied wearily, "but no, I'm not. I just need you to trust me."

The boy still didn't look convinced.

"Would I lie to myself?" Wyatt asked.

That seemed to do it. The boy nodded, and Wyatt orbed out just as Chris poked his head into the hallway. He asked, "Where did you go to take that piss? Cleveland?"

"Don't knock it," Wyatt replied. "They have some really nice public restrooms in Cleveland."

Chris scrunched his eyes. "You'd better get back in here before Mom and Dad notice you're gone."

"I'm not going back."

"Wh..what?"

Wyatt tossed him a mischievous grin and said, "Catch me if you can." Then he orbed out.


	12. Chapter 11

"It took a lot of guts to come back here again, after how things ended the first time," Leo said. Chris nodded, but he was barely listening. He was waiting for the hired assassin sent to kill his mother. If memory served, it wouldn't be long now.

"I guess so," Chris muttered when it seemed Leo expected an answer.

"There's no guessing," Leo continued. "I mean it. You risked everything to save Wyatt. I'm so proud of you, and so is Piper. I know Wyatt appreciates it."

Chris squirmed involuntarily. Leo sure was doing a good job of making him feel guilty, even if he had no idea what he was doing.

Leo continued, his gaze never wavering. "There was so much I wanted to tell you before…before you disappeared."

"You can tell me later," Chris said, brushing him off.

"No, I think I need to tell you now. Who knows what the future holds." He moved so close that Chris could feel his father's breath on his neck.

"I want you to know that you never had anything to prove to us…to me," he continued. "Wyatt may be more powerful, but that never mattered. I've always been proud of your courage and loyalty, and your willingness to give it all for your family."

"It's OK, Dad, I know," Chris said, growing increasingly uncomfortable with the talk-show-like turn this had taken.

"No," Leo said. "I don't think you do." His tone had a harder edge to it now. "You don't have to compete with Wyatt…and you don't have to compete with yourself."

Chris turned on his heels. "What?"

"You know what I'm talking about. The other you. The one who came back to save Wyatt."

Chris' heart screamed in his chest, and panic flooded his veins. _Calm down, damnit_, he told himself. _It doesn't matter. Mom's still up there, and Urak will be here soon. _

"He was able to save Wyatt. I can save Mom. I know I can."

"He saved Wyatt because Wyatt was meant to be saved. Your mother…this is what's meant to happen."

"Yeah, you keep saying that," Chris said bitterly. "Except that it's crap." He turned and moved across the room, with Leo right behind him.

"It's true," Leo said, his voice getting louder to match Chris'. "She knew it was going to happen. She even agreed to it."

Chris laughed harshly. "Are you demented? She would never agree to leave her children and her sisters behind."

"Not in this life. In another one."

Chris had stopped moving nervously across the room, and Leo took it as his opening to continue. "In a past life, Piper did something her soul could never forgive itself for. She and her daughter were in a car accident. They suffered minor injuries, but the car caught fire. Your mother panicked and ran out of the car. Chris, she never even tried to free the baby, and the child burned to death."

"No," Chris whispered. "Mom would never do that."

"Not now, but she did then. And she needed to make up for that by sacrificing her life for her baby. Karma needed her to balance the scales."

"No, I don't…that baby…" Then realization hit. "That baby was me, wasn't it?"

Leo nodded and watched as Chris sank to his knees. "It wasn't your fault," Leo said gently. "It simply has to be."

"I don't need vengeance," Chris said. "I just need her." Tears pooled in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. She wasn't dead yet. He could still stop this, no matter what his father said. She wouldn't die because of him.

Leo reached out for him, but he stopped when a blue shape orbed into the living room, followed quickly by another.

"Wyatt! Chris!" Leo cried. He'd been expecting them, but their appearance still surprised him and pulled him out of the moment.

Then all hell broke loose. The demon of the hour broke through the door and snarled, dripping green ooze from its pale gray, slimy skin. Large black eyes opened and closed like shutters as it scanned the room.

"WHERE ARE THE CHARMED ONES?" it bellowed.

"Whoa, no need to shout," Chris snarked, pulling himself to his feet. "We can kill you just as well." He pulled a potion from his belt and prepared to throw it when he was distracted by four more orbs, three near the door and one near the kitchen. Paige, flanked by Phoebe and Piper, took an offensive stance, and Wyatt took in the scene from the doorway. Chris flung the vial at the demon, but a searing pain in his chest made his throw go wide. He collapsed to his knees in pain and confusion.

> _What the hell?_ he thought. _I wasn't hit. _

Then he saw his 14-year-old self sprawled out on the floor, a gaping chest wound pumping blood into the carpet. He was unnaturally still.

"No!" Piper screamed. She flung herself at the demon and was tossed across the room like a handball by another energy blast.

This time the scream came from Chris' lips. It was happening again. She was dying again. He was in too much pain to see, but he crawled along the floor, trying to reach her, before a pair of strong arms held him back. Wyatt. Chris felt his back pressed against Wyatt's chest as his brother held him still.

> "Sshhh," Wyatt whispered. "It's gonna be OK."
> 
> _Liar,_ Chris thought. _It's never going to be OK._

Chris struggled against his brother's grip, but the pain was too much. His chest was on fire, and he couldn't breathe. It felt as if he were being dragged down by a fiery undertow.

Around him, the battle raged. Paige and Phoebe were getting the upper hand, flinging potion after potion at the demon until he finally burst into flames and vanished, leaving a large scorch mark on the carpet.

"Dad!" young Wyatt screamed. "Chris!" He pointed to the fallen teenager who was unconscious and bleeding profusely. Paige and Phoebe gathered around Piper.

"Leo!" Phoebe screamed. "Piper's hurt!"

Leo turned from his son to his wife in confusion. He knew what decision he had to make, but it hurt knowing what the ultimate outcome would be. His heart pounded loud and heavy as he knelt beside young Chris. The boy hadn't been hurt the first time, and he hoped it wasn't too late.

"C'mom, Chris, don't die, just don't. Please come back, please." The tears flowed freely and he didn't care. Leo held his hand over Chris' abdomen, but nothing happened. He tried again, focusing harder than he'd ever focused in his life. Five feet away, older Chris rocked with one spasm after another, and Wyatt held on for dear life, willing his strength into his brother.

"Let go," Chris spat violently. "Mom…"

"Mom's dead," Wyatt said. It was vicious, he knew, but he had to get Chris to focus on his own survival. "It wasn't your fault, but it will be your fault if you die and leave me here alone!"

Chris leaned back into his brother's chest, the fight draining out of him. He didn't want to struggle anymore. He just wanted to sleep. Wyatt felt him slipping away, and he held on tighter, convincing himself that Chris wouldn't die if he just held on tight enough.

"Don't you dare, you bastard!" Wyatt cried. "You came all the way back here so I could lose you both? I hate you! Please, please, don't die. Please…" Frustrated tears ran down his face and onto Chris' mop of brown hair. Wyatt continued rocking Chris, more for his own comfort than for his brother's. Some part of him was still monitoring what was happening to Chris' younger self, but his mind just couldn't focus on both at once.

"I'm sorry," Chris whispered, looking up weakly at his brother. "I wanted to save her…for you, too. You hurt so much when she died. And Dad…"

Wyatt blinked hard. "I know," he said, voice soothing. "It's OK. Mom died to keep us together. If you die, too, then she did it for nothing. Stay with me, buddy."

Across the room, Paige and 16-year-old Wyatt had gathered around young Chris and were channeling healing energy through Leo. Tiny sparks of light jumped from his hands into Chris, but the flow was stop and go. Paige blinked away tears. "C'mon, little guy, we need you. Can't you see how much we need you?" Phoebe was still keeping vigil over Piper's lifeless body, covering her hair with gentle kisses.

Leo was about to pull away in defeat when a surge of energy passed from him into Chris. The boy gasped for breath, and older Chris arched backward hard into Wyatt's chest. Wyatt continued to mumble soothing words into his ear until the spasms passed, and Chris relaxed again.

"Dad…daddy?" young Chris coughed, and Leo lifted the boy gently into his arms.

"I'm here," he said. "You're OK now. I'm here." His tears of fear turned to tears of relief, and Paige and young Wyatt joined him. A few moments passed like that before they remembered Piper.

"Mom…" Wyatt called. His voice cracked, and they all turned to where Phoebe was still peppering Piper's hair with kisses. Paige slid next to her, and both women wept silently over their fallen sister. Young Wyatt clung to his father, and older Wyatt and both Chrises looked on numbly.

Chris disengaged himself from Wyatt and crawled over to Piper's body. His hands and legs shook violently, and it seemed to take forever to get to her. Wyatt followed behind him, keeping a careful eye on his brother.

"She's gone," Chris whispered. "I mean, really gone."

Wyatt nodded sadly. He hadn't been around for Piper's death the first time, but the scene had been very close to what played out in his mind whenever he imagined it. Chris' eyes shone with unshed tears, and Wyatt thought he was going to cry, but he didn't. Instead, something deep inside him snapped. Shrugging off the physical pain in his gut, he pushed Wyatt away and took off through the shattered door. Leo made a move to follow, but Wyatt held his hand up.

"No," he commanded. "Stay here. They need you. I'll take care of Chris." He didn't wait for his father's agreement before sprinting through the doorway.

"Chris, stop!" Wyatt yelled. Chris ignored him and orbed away. It didn't take long for Wyatt to track him, and within seconds they were both standing at the top of the Golden Gate Bridge overlooking the traffic below.

"I'm not looking for a shoulder to cry on," Chris said. "Beat it. Go back to the manor."

"I'm not offering one," Wyatt countered. "Damn, you're thick. You still don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?!" Chris screamed. "That Dad saved me when he could have saved Mom? That nothing I do makes a damn bit of difference? Tell, me great Wyatt! Tell me what I don't get!"

Wyatt opened his mouth, but Chris was gone again.

He followed him to a park, then P3, then an abandoned warehouse. Finally, they ended up back at the bridge.

> "I can do this all day, Christopher. Is that what you want?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Chris screamed, digging himself deeper into hysteria. No one could hear him this high up, and he didn't care if they did. "Why couldn't you just help me?"

"That's what I'm trying to do," Wyatt replied. He took a step forward, and Chris took two back. Wyatt reached out to touch him, but Chris evaded the contact. Compassion from Wyatt was exactly what he didn't want. He was barely holding it together, and he was afraid physical contact would shatter what little control he had left.

"It's not fair!" Chris yelled. "She gave everything to protect the innocent, and what did it get her? Nothing! She lost her mother, her sister, any chance she ever had at a normal life, and nobody ever gave a damn about what she wanted."

Chris didn't notice, but during his rant, Wyatt had been inching closer, until he was finally only a foot away.

"That's not what this is about," Wyatt said matter-of-factly.

> "Really? Then tell me. What is this is about?"

Wyatt grabbed his brother by his upper arms, gently but firmly, and pulled him close. Chris put up a token struggle, but eventually he gave up and rested his forehead on Wyatt's chest.

> "It's not your fault," Wyatt said gently.

"How can you say that?" Chris sobbed. "She died because of me, because she thought she had to make something up to me."

"Mom's karma was her own. She died because she had to make something up to herself. It wasn't about you."

It had taken all his will to hold back the flood, but finally the dam broke, and he sank to his knees in uncontrollable sobs. Wave after wave hit him, and he felt like a moron for weeping like a child in his brother's arms, but he couldn't stop himself, and Wyatt being all sensitive and rubbing his back like a doting father wasn't helping him get a grip.

> "How…how did you move on?" Chris asked between gasps for air.

"I dealt with it," Wyatt said. "We all did—me, Dad, Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Paige. We helped each other. But you wouldn't let us help you. You wanted to do it all by yourself."

Suddenly, Chris felt like a fool. On top of that, he was all cried out and he had a massive headache. Wyatt sensed the change.

"So, are you ready to go back home, or would you rather lose your mind up on a bridge some more?" Chris laughed. It was brief, but it was sincere, and for that Wyatt was grateful. The two of them orbed out together, leaving the birds, once again, to their peace.


	13. Epilogue

So that's the story of how Chris nearly screwed up the future. Lucky for him, I was there to set things straight. And Dad helped, too, of course. Things still haven't gotten back to normal around here, though. Chris still gets these moments where he just spaces out at pictures of Mom, and sometimes I hear him crying in the attic. But more often he's been talking to us about what happened, and I think he's coming around. He's a bit further behind in the grieving department than the rest of us, and I'll wait a little longer before I kick his ass for what he put me through.

Speaking of the rest of us, our time travel adventure had one unexpected consequence. Upon our return, we found that Aunt Paige and Aunt Phoebe had moved back into the manor. Apparently, in the new timeline, they never left. When I asked them about it, they said that Chris coming back and trying to save Piper — and nearly getting himself killed — convinced them that there was nothing more important than family, and that they needed to stay in the fight. For themselves, for us, and for Mom. Having all this estrogen in the house again has been an adjustment, but I can't complain. Four witches is better than two when it comes to fighting the forces of the underworld, and it's nice having the family back together.

In case you were wondering, we did go on to vanquish the Source — again. That guy keeps coming back, but we just keep smacking him down. I'm teaching at magic school with Aunt Paige now, Chris is running P3 full time, and Aunt Phoebe has gone into fashion design. So much for that psychology degree.

> Oh, wait a minute, I almost forgot! Do you believe he told Mom I was evil? What's up with that?


End file.
